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Negotiations are all about leverage. If leverage is tilted your way, chances are a favorable deal hangs in the balance. If not, you might have to accept something less than desirable, in order to salvage any kind of deal. That’s why leverage is so important.

Go to a car dealership and you might not want to tip your hand that you have a trade in or answer any questions about a targeted monthly payment. If you do, you lose leverage and you might not get the ideal bargain on your new car.

And if you are hoping to trade your quarterback, you should probably not tell the world that you plan to part ways with him before you actually do. By announcing that Joe Flacco will be moving on, the Ravens sacrificed negotiating leverage.

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At this time last year, it was believed that the Chiefs would hand the reins of their offense over to Patrick Mahomes to start his second season. But the Chiefs never tipped their hand, retained leverage, and as a result they were able to get a 3rd round pick and slot corner Kendall Fuller from the Washington Redskins in exchange for their 2017 starting QB, Alex Smith.

Conversely, John Harbaugh made it perfectly clear following the Ravens wild card playoff loss to the Chargers, that Flacco would be moving on. Now, that the Ravens have revealed their hand and a potential release of the Super Bowl 47 MVP looms, teams might not be willing to pony up as much to trade for Flacco. Perhaps they may not pony up anything at all.

Maybe the Ravens will tell other clubs the same thing that many fans have said throughout the years – that Joe didn’t have the proper supporting cast nor did he have an adequate play caller or offensive architect to get the most from his physical gifts. And with those things, the acquiring team will get a player capable of winning a Super Bowl.

Even if that’s true, if you were a buyer for Flacco’s services, would you give up a draft pick and/or a player to acquire Joe NOW and take other potential suitors out of the mix? OR, would you wait to see if he’s released and give up nothing other than a paycheck?

Unless there’s a desperate team out there, the answer is obvious.

And it’s just as obvious that the Ravens blew it by tipping their hand.

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About Tony Lombardi

Tony is the founder EutawStreetReport.com and RussellStreetReport.com. His work has been featured on various sports websites and he hosts The Russell Street Report and Armchair Quarterback both seen and heard on Fanimal Radio. Among his favorite things in life are his wife, kids, family, friends, The Beatles, Breaking Bad, Gladiator, The Godfather, Guinness, orange crushes, meatballs and Key West, not necessarily in that order. Follow Tony on Twitter @RSRLombardi. More from Tony Lombardi

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Lombardi’s Way - A column from the 24×7 founder that focuses on the Ravens, the NFL, Baltimore, the world of sports or life’s inspirations.

Word on The Street - In the spirit of the CBS Sports Minute with Boomer Esiason, RSR brings you Word on The Street, a 90 second (or less) podcast on topics exclusively relating to the Baltimore Ravens.

Ravens Links - We’ll give you the best stories about the Ravens from around the web three times per week.

The Fanimal - If you are an animal about the Baltimore Ravens, then you are a Fanimal! Follow the Russell Street Report blog Fanimal Crackers!

The Edgar Awards - The Edgar Awards will range from the Maryland county that is home to the best Ravens fans to the best Ravens podcast; from the best collection of displaced fans to the best local craft brews that should be part of your next tailgating party.

The Road to RSR - Our writers explains their journeys as fans and how they came to write for our little corner of sports media.